The invention relates generally to wind turbine equipment and more specifically to a fixture and method for locating wind turbine equipment on a foundation for a wind turbine tower, prior to the tower installation.
Early construction of wind power plants first produced a foundation, then the tower of the wind power plant was erected and subsequently a machine house was outfitted at the tip of the tower and the rotor was affixed with the rotor blades. After this, the electric power modules such as a transformer, switch cabinets, converters, a medium voltage system, a low voltage system, etc., were installed, often in a separate housing in proximity to the wind turbine tower.
Subsequently, wind plant equipment and methods were developed to construct a foundation and then place the essential power modules, such as transformer; switch cabinets; converters, medium voltage systems, and low voltage distribution on the wind turbine tower foundation, in various arrangements. Under these methods, the wind turbine tower (tower) was erected on the foundation over the electric equipment to provide protection from the elements and make use of otherwise vacant enclosed space within the tower. The electrical equipment may be prefabricated and consolidated in structures and modules, designed for mounting to the tower foundation. However, the locations for these structures and modules needs to be manually measured out and identified, such as by spray painting the foundation, prior to the positioning and mounting of the electrical equipment and subsequent erection of the tower. In the event of faulty location and mounting of these components, it was sometimes necessary to relocate in order to avoid interference with the tower base.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a fixture and method for rapidly and accurately locating structures and equipment on the tower foundation prior to the installation of the tower.